Renter feared for safety before 3 were killed in apartment

Search continues for suspect

Updated 12:32 am, Saturday, November 23, 2013

Authorities are still searching for a 25-year-old suspect Johnathan "J Boi" Sanchez. He's accused of shooting five people in a northwest Harris County apartment.

Authorities are still searching for a 25-year-old suspect Johnathan "J Boi" Sanchez. He's accused of shooting five people in a northwest Harris County apartment.

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A shooting victim is taken to a LifeFlight helicopter after the aftermath of the shooting Wednesday.

A shooting victim is taken to a LifeFlight helicopter after the aftermath of the shooting Wednesday.

Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

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A shooting victim is loaded into a medical helicopter at the the scene
of a shooting in northwest Harris County, Nov. 12, 2013. (Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle)

A shooting victim is loaded into a medical helicopter at the the scene
of a shooting in northwest Harris County, Nov. 12, 2013. (Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle)

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The apartment complex where three were killed late Wednesday is shown boarded up in Cypress on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2013. (Johnny Hanson/Houston Chronicle)

The apartment complex where three were killed late Wednesday is shown boarded up in Cypress on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2013. (Johnny Hanson/Houston Chronicle)

Photo: Johnny Hanson, Houston Chronicle

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A Life Flight helicopter takes off with a gunshot victim.

A Life Flight helicopter takes off with a gunshot victim.

Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff

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Officers gather at the scene after the shooting.

Officers gather at the scene after the shooting.

Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

Renter feared for safety before 3 were killed in apartment

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The man who rented the Copperfield-area apartment where five people were shot Wednesday, three fatally, knew the gunman and had told others to not let him inside, according to court documents.

The renter had feared for his life, telling authorities in a criminal complaint that Johnathan "J Boi" Sanchez had threatened to kill him.

Harris County deputies on Friday continued to look for 25-year-old Sanchez, who is charged with capital murder. Authorities said they believe he is hiding somewhere in the Houston area.

Daniel Munoz and Veronica Hernandez, both 17, were killed along with Yosselyn Alfaro, 21, in the shooting. Authorities did not release the names of the two wounded: a man, reported in stable condition, and a woman, near death on life support with a serious head wound.

All five were shot multiple times, three while seated on a couch, in a small studio apartment off Texas 6 in northwest Harris County.

The surviving male victim would identify Sanchez as the gunman, according to the complaint.

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The shootings on Wednesday mark at least the fourth incident that has involved multiple victims in the Houston area since September.

The others included the fatal stabbing of a 17-year-old and slashing of four others in a knife incident at Spring High School on Sept. 4; the fatal shooting of two Katy students and wounding of 19 others at a birthday party in the Cypress area on Nov. 9; and the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old and wounding of three others at another party in southwest Houston.

Harris County Detective Ben Beal said investigators have noted a recent spike in homicides in the county's unincorporated areas, following several years of declines.

Records show that the Sheriff's Office investigated 65 incidents that involved 76 murder victims last year, and the county had already reached 65 incidents by the end of October - with two months still to go.

"By the end of last month, we had counted 70 murder victims," said the Sheriff's Office spokeswoman, Christina Garza. This does not include at least seven other murders that have been reported so far in November.

According to investigators, Wednesday's killings were not gang-related, although some of the individuals involved were associated with gangs. They would not elaborate.

Threatening texts

The renter of the apartment at the Peppermill Place complex said he believes he might have been Sanchez's original target.

In the complaint, where his name was redacted, the renter told authorities that Sanchez "often takes drugs and hallucinates" and had recently threatened to kill him. The renter said that before he went to work Wednesday about 1:30 p.m, he had received several threatening text messages from Sanchez.

He reported leaving several friends behind in his apartment, including those killed, and warning them not to allow Sanchez to enter.

The renter said he later received a call from a friend who said Sanchez was in the apartment.

Another witness, the affidavit said, told authorities he was in the apartment when Sanchez arrived and began talking with the friend. He said Sanchez had shown him his 9 mm handgun the day before the deadly shooting and talked of wanting to kill the renter and another acquaintance. No reason was given for the threat in the affidavit.

Victims were unarmed

Investigators found multiple 9 mm shell casings scattered around on the apartment's floor.

Weapons were found inside the apartment, but none of the victims had been armed, authorities said. A small amount of marijuana was also confiscated.

Sanchez, who is described as having multiple tattoos, was identified by witnesses as the person that they saw looking down and walking quickly away after the shots were fired. He was described as wearing a green sweatshirt with a hood pulled over a baseball cap.

Sanchez was previously sentenced to three years in prison in 2009 after being convicted of bringing a gun into a business that sold liquor. Earlier, as a teenager, he received a five-year sentence after being found guilty of an aggravated robbery.

Anyone with information about Sanchez should contact Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.